


I hate everyone here (Except you)

by ElleKing27



Series: It'll be the two of us [3]
Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: 2kim are cute, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, chaewon whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22676143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleKing27/pseuds/ElleKing27
Summary: You look at all the mail sent to your house. Just some usual stuff. A few invitations from some companies. Some advertisements. Some scams. A wedding invitation from... who the fuck? Oh, right, a relative from Father's side. Well, down the trash bin that goes. What else?Wait.You pick out a certain invitation out of the rest. It's the name that caught your name more than anything else.St. Jerome Catholic School. Your old alma mater.OrChaewon tries to be braver and Minjoo is there for her.
Relationships: Kim Chaewon (IZONE)/Kim Minju
Series: It'll be the two of us [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1355062
Comments: 8
Kudos: 154





	I hate everyone here (Except you)

**Author's Note:**

> I was supposed to be writing a new 2kim royal au but I couldn't get this out of my head ...so here it is!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Follow me on twitter! @cheesyisthyname

//

Another day and more things that you don't really care about comes your way. Really. At this point, you're more amazed that you haven't quit your job yet. Chucking the Heiress title out the window in the meanwhile. You suppose you have Minjoo to thank for that. Your wife makes it easier to ignore all the moronic people at the office. Though if you had to say one good thing about your job is that you get paid a lot. This means you can give Minjoo whatever she wants. Not that she asks for much anyway, but it still feels nice to get her a gift every now and then.

Occasionally, you would buy something for yourself as well. Though it's only just limited to snacks and the occasional beer. You don't even buy clothes for yourself. You've never really cared much for your looks. If it looks neat, then it's good enough for you. Much to your family's chagrin but you have long stopped caring about their opinion. However, it seems that Minjoo does care about it. You never asked why she cares but you guess it has something to with... making you look better? Honestly, you're not really sure. That tall puppy-like friend of hers says that it was Minjoo's dream? Or fantasy? Something about having a really pretty yet handsome wife?

You don't really know what it means but it sounds like a good thing, right? Well, she always seems to be happy whenever you wear the clothes she picks out for you, so, you guess it is.

Now, Minjoo would buy your clothes for you, or to be more precise, she picks them out for you. You remember how it started. You had a company event the next day and you had planned to just wear your fancy suit and call it a day. Minjoo had other plans though.

(

"Are you really going to wear that again?"

"Wear what?" You look at her confused. Minjoo was lounging around on your—their bed while you were preparing the outfit for tomorrow's event. Sorry, you're still not used to referring to anything as, well, _theirs_. Get it together, Kim Chaewon.

"That suit." She pouts. "Don't get me wrong. You look great in that—"

"I do?"

"Well, yeah," she says matter of the factly. You don't miss the slight rosiness to her cheeks. Nor how she sinks back into her pillow. Pulling the blanket up. Your lips curve into a small smile. She admits softly, "You look good in anything."

"Thanks." You move to sit on the bed. You hold her hand and kiss it. "You always look beautiful too in my eyes."

"A-Anyways!" She exclaims. "You always wear that suit at every event!"

"And?"

"You can't do that. You need to wear more things for these events." Minjoo determinedly says. "It's not good for your image, COO Kim."

You just shrug and move back to your wardrobe. You really don't care about this kind of thing. You're pretty sure no one will care anyway as long as you produce results that benefit the company. Though you suppose the media will care. However, since when did you start caring about them. Unless it had something to do with Minjoo of course. You are not about to sit on your ass if they say even one speck of negativity about your wife.

"Will you wear something else if I picked it out for you?"

Glancing back at her, you see the expectant gaze in her eyes.

"I suppose so," you unsurely answer her.

“Then let's go shopping tomorrow.” She says with sparkles in her eyes. “The event starts in the evening, right?”

“Yeah.” You kind of have a bad feeling about this whole shopping business, but you can't really deny Minjoo. Not when she looks that excited. The model side of hers probably can't stand seeing you wear the same thing over and over again for numerous events. She means well and you can't seem to say anything about it. So, you just end up nodding your head and going along with whatever Minjoo has in plan for you.

You just hope you don't end up having to wear a thousand suits tomorrow.

(

So, it turns out you were wrong. While it's true we went to a lot of stores—you had lost count after the seventh one—Minjoo didn't actually make you wear a thousand suits. As a matter of fact, she had only made you wear one and that was it. The whole shopping escapade ended in three hours. You know that's not exactly short, but you thought it would end up taking at least another two more hours.

“Huh,” you absentmindedly remark.

“What is it?” Minjoo asks beside you. Her arm linking around yours. A satisfied smile on her face.

“Quicker than I thought.”

“Of course!” She puffs out her chest proudly. “Who do you think I am?”

You chuckle at that.

“Plus, I also know you don't like shopping for clothes. Thought the faster the better.”

“Thanks.” You kiss her cheek.

“No problem, Chae.”

)

)

Starting that day, she would always pick out your clothes. Every morning you would find a new outfit for you to wear to work. Courtesy of your wife. You guess Minjoo takes her newfound job as your self-proclaimed stylist seriously. You wonder when she had the time to buy all of the clothes between her modeling job, and well, spending time with you at home. Maybe you should ask her one of these days.

Hmm, now that you think about it, that was also the first time she called you 'Chae' and not 'Chaewon'. It was so natural that you didn't even realize it. It seems you can't underestimate the smoothness of Kim Minjoo.

Currently, work had ended and now you're heading back home from the company. The merger between the two Kim companies had been successfully finalized. You can finally rest easy for a while. At least, until another project comes your way. Ugh, you can't wait to have a vacation. Preferably with Minjoo. Maybe in Vienna. You've heard it's a nice country from your cousin—your better cousin.

Speaking of Minjoo, you wonder if she's already back home yet. If your memory serves you correctly, she had a shoot today and had to leave early in the morning. You only fuzzily remember the feeling of a kiss while you were still half awake. When you woke up, she was already gone. You had frowned at the cold sheets. You're frowning again right now. Honestly, you kind of miss her a little. Okay, maybe it's not _just_ a little.

You sigh. Maybe she's still at the studio. Should you visit her there again?

Stopping at a red light, you quickly give her a call. It only takes a ring before it connects.

"Hello?" Her soft voice comes through the speakers of your car and your frown disappears.

"Are you still at the studio?" You ask her directly.

"Nope, the shoot ended a while ago." You hear the faint sound of the tv in the background. She must already be back home. "Why?"

"No reason."

"Perhaps... you wanted to see me modeling again?" She teases. You can't see her but you just know she has a stupid grin on her face.

"I shall neither confirm nor deny." You feel your ears getting red.

"Mhmm, I see how it is." There's a mischievous lilt to her voice, and you need to end this conversation.

"Minjoo."

"Yes?"

"Shut up." You hear her laughing out loud and is it just you or is it a bit hot in your car?

"No need to be shy, Chae." She giggles. "You know... It's not like you haven't seen—"

" _Anyways_!" You clear your throat loudly. "I'll see you at home, Joo."

"See you, Chae."

You could still hear her laughing even until you hang up. Hmm, you've noticed this for a while, but Minjoo has been getting really bold lately. If you had to say whether you like this new development or not, then you definitely like it. It just means that she's become more comfortable with you.

You hurry home and drive faster than before. Within the speed limit of course. Kim Chaewon isn't about to break the law just to see her wife faster. She would look at you disapprovingly after all. But going borderline should still be fine.

After a few minutes, you finally arrived back home. Before going up to your apartment, you made sure to grab the mails that had arrived. When you open the front door, you see Minjoo sitting by the couch with a few parcels around her. They seem to be... clothes? You feel a bit suspicious of this.

"Hey," you call out to her softly while approaching her.

Looking back to face you, she gives you a smile. She reaches out her hand to you and you hold it. You give the back of her hand a small peck.

"Hey." She pulls your hand a bit. So, you lean down. She kisses your cheek.

"These are?" You ask nodding at the packages around her.

"Oh, I bought some stuff online." She says as she goes back to opening her packages.

"Uhuh," you glance at pieces of clothing. "since when did you start wearing more black?"

"Since never," she chuckles. "These are for you."

"Me?"

"Yup!"

Huh, guess this is how she manages to buy all of your clothes. You're starting to think that this is getting out of hand. There's plenty of clothes in your closet and she doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. You should probably put a stop to this. But then you look at her happily humming while arranging the clothes and maybe it's fine? Minjoo will know when to stop, right?

It's probably fine.

You leave your wife to her own devices and walk into the kitchen. You could use some beer after a long day at work. Grabbing a refreshing cold beer from the fridge, you start to sort through the mails you had grabbed downstairs. Looking through it, you just see some usual stuff. A few invitations from some companies. Some advertisements. Some scams. A wedding invitation from... who the fuck? Oh, right, a relative from Father's side. Well, down the trash bin that goes. What else?

Wait.

You pick out a certain invitation out of the rest. It's the name that caught your name more than anything else.

St. Jerome Catholic School. Your old alma mater.

The invitation gripped tighter. A sting in your chest and a heavy sigh. Just when you thought you had forgotten about this hell hole. You rub your face tiredly. Old memories of the place resurface and you don't like it. Not one bit. You glare at the piece of paper in your hands. Catholic school my ass. You have half a mind to just rip the paper to shreds. With what you had experienced back then, do they really expect you to come to this bullshit reunion of theirs? You'd sooner jump into a bunch of hungry hyenas than attend this godawful event.

But you don't.

The invitation lies untouched in your hands. Pristine. Just like what they expected of you there. You sigh again. Fucking useless memories. You know why you haven't thrown it away the moment you saw the name. More importantly, you know exactly why you're even contemplating going there at all. All because of a few months of memories from your youth. Memories of _her_.

You still remember the times you had spent with her. You remember how she used to make you laugh with her corny jokes. You remember how she would teach you to stand up for yourself. How to be your own person. Not the one your parents and the school wanted. You remember her voice. You remember the way she would call your name with the same lightness in her smile.

 _"Chaewon,"_ she would say. _"come on, Won-ah! Let's go watch the stars!"_

She would often drag you by the elbow just to watch the stars at the dormitory's rooftop. She was the one who introduced you to the stars. She was the reason why you loved them so.

You wonder if she would be there. If you back to this hell hole, will she be there too?

"Chaewon?"

You jolt in surprise from the sudden voice next to you. Whipping your head to the side, you see Minjoo's concerned face.

"Are you okay?" She tucks your hair behind your ear. "You've been staring at it for a while now."

"I'm fine," you sigh.

"Chae." A warning tone in her voice.

"Just—" Another sigh. You put the invitation down on the counter. "Just some memories from high school. It's nothing."

She stays silent. A frown on her face. You never really talked about your teenage years to her. Only a few tidbits here and there and those were enough for her to know that absolutely everyone in your old school was absolutely horrible. You never want to remember that time in your life ever again. With the exception of the memories made with _her_.

You suppose she was the only good thing to come out of high school. You had lost contact with her somewhere along the way. You wonder what happened to her. Maybe she's living a good life. You hope that to be the case.

"Are you going?" She asks you softly. "It's to a reunion, right?"

"Yeah, it is." You sigh again for the nth time. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Chaewon." She cups your face and you lean into her comforting touch.

"I know."

"I sense a but in there."

"But there's someone I want to meet again," you admit lowly. You hold the hand caressing your face.

"Who is it?"

"A friend." A bitter smile on your face. Now that you think about it, you never told Minjoo about her. "The only friend I have. Well, had. It's been years since we talked to each other."

"Is she important to you?"

"You could say that."

"Then you should go meet her," she gently encourages you.

"I should, shouldn't I?" You close your eyes. Trying your hardest to push away the years of memories from your mind.

"How about I go with you?" She suggests as she moves to embrace you. "You seem to hate them a lot."

"Yeah." You put your arms around her waist. A pause. "Will you really go with me?"

"Yeah, I've had my fair share of assholes. It'll be fine. Besides, we're only going there for your friend anyway." A kiss on your head. "You might not know, Chae. But I can have a sharp tongue when I want to, you know. Those jerks won't know what hit them. I'll give them a dose of Kim Minjoo's power. Don't underestimate this wife of yours, Chae."

A chuckle escapes your lips. Leave it to Minjoo to cheer you up.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. Let's go to this shitty reunion together."

You guess you'll end up jumping into a bunch of hungry hyenas after all. At least, you'll have your sun to accompany into the darkness.

(

That night, you wake up in a cold sweat. Whispers of shadows ringing in your ear. You're not enough they say. You need to do more. No one likes you because you're pathetic. Too pathetic. Shaky hands block your ears. They're not real, Chaewon. It's not real. But then why do the whispers sound so real? Why can you hear their repulsive laughter ringing so loudly in your ears? Why can you feel your Father's hand on your shoulder? It's too loud. Too heavy. Too much.

You can't breathe.

But then you feel hands going around you. Embracing you. It's warm. It's oh so warm.

"I'm here, Chaewon." Oh, it's Minjoo. "It's okay. I'm here."

She's here. Your sun is here. You clutch onto her. Further into your sun's embrace.

You'll be okay, Chaewon.

You'll be okay.

)

//

You stop your car in front of a restaurant. Looking back to the invitation, you check if this is the right place. Trapped Cat. It's supposedly a famous restaurant but you're skeptical. How the hell did they attract customers with that kind of name? Well, whatever, you have more important things to worry about. Mainly the hyenas waiting for you behind that fancy door.

A hand comes to hold your cold ones.

"Are you okay?"

"Let's just get this over with," you sigh while reaching out to open the car door but a hand stops you. Looking at Minjoo confused, she just gives you a smile before leaning over the console and starts dusting your suit. One that she picked out for you again by the way.

“There,” she says as she straightens your clothes. “Don't you look dapper?”

“Thanks to you.” A small smile. A black suit with a matching black shirt and black heels. Minjoo really went all out with the black tonight. According to her, it would be ‘those assholes' funeral, Chae. We gotta look appropriate.’ Which also explains Minjoo's black dress. You don't know how true those words will be but you choose to believe in your wife's positivity anyway.

“Looking good is the first step to any battle after all.” She says smugly.

“And who said that?” You raise your eyebrow at that.

“Me.” Pulling on the lapels of your suit, she gives you a kiss. “We'll be okay, honey.”

“Okay.” You feel your ears becoming red at the pet name. That's new. You like it.

“Plus! You're taller than me today!” She chuckles. “Everyone will be too scared to say anything to you.”

“Hmm.”

“It's time to bring out your scary CEO—”

“COO actually.”

“—aura that your employees are scared of! You're Kim Chaewon! Heiress of The Kim Group! Number one player in Mario Kart! No one can tell you what to do!”

“I don't think Mario Kart has anything to do with this.”

“That's what you think, Chae. But think about it. How many of them actually play that game? They've probably never even touched a controller! You have the advantage of—”

“Okay, okay, I get it, Minjoo.” You softly laugh. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

“No problem.” She holds your hand. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “let's get this over with quickly. We can go home faster that way.”

“Netflix and chill?” She asks you excitedly. You only give her a look at that. “The—The innocent kind mind you!”

“Dork.” You snort. “Come on. Let's go.”

“R-Right.”

Entering the restaurant with Minjoo in hand, you give your invitation to the waiter. He confirms it before escorting you further to where the party is held. It seems like it's on the second floor of the restaurant. On the way there, you look around the place. For a restaurant with a godawful name, the decor is pretty decent. Though a bit too gaudy for your taste. You have a pretty good guess on who chose this place. Knock on wood you don't meet that bitch.

When you dine out with Minjoo in the future, you take note to pick a better restaurant than this. The decor should at least be as beautiful as her. Which now that you think about it might be an impossible task. Nothing's more beautiful than your wife. Anyone who says otherwise must be delusional or just plain blind.

You glance to her and a small smile appears in your previously flat face. You can see that she's still embarrassed by her previous words. A quiet titter and you lean down to whisper in her ear.

“You know, I wouldn't mind the not so innocent kind either.”

She starts coughing and you can't help to laugh.

“You—”

“We've arrived,” the waiter informs with a polite smile. “Please enjoy your time here.”

You nod at him. Minjoo gives your arm a light squeeze and you take a deep breath before walking further in. Looking around, you see familiar faces that had long become unfamiliar. Faces of who's names you never bothered to remember. Faces of your old demons. You take another deep breath. It'll be fine. Things are different now. But then everyone turns to look at you and God damn it why is it suddenly hard to breathe? You keep a straight face, but you can't seem to get their whispers away from your ears. Jaws clenched and hands cold, you quickly survey the people there. You hope that _she's_ already here.

She isn't. You don't see a trace of her existence anywhere.

Great. Now you'll have to spend more time surrounded by these hyenas. Subtly, you sigh. A sinking feeling settles in your stomach and you're starting to regret coming here in the first place. But then you feel a hand squeezing your elbow and a whisper to your ear, and maybe you can breathe a little easier now.

“Breathe, honey.”

Right. Breathing is important.

“We'll be okay.”

A nod is all you give. Ignore. Just ignore all of it. Remember, nothing really matters in the grand scheme of things. None of this will matter. All of the stares and whispers. They won't matter. They don't matter. You focus on the things that are more important to you. Things like Minjoo and _her_. Why should you care about these people who you probably won't even remember a week from now?

With a new sense of confidence, you walk. You'll probably have to wait until _she_ arrives. You can just busy yourself by trash-talking everyone here to Minjoo. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

“Oh, hey! Chaewon! Remember me?”

Tch. Damn it. You guess you can't avoid talking to any of these people. You look towards the voice. Oh, at least it's someone you don't hate. Hwang Yeji. Athlete turned singer. One of the more popular kids back in school. A bit dumb but she was one of the better people in that hellhole. You helped her a few times with school projects and other things.

“I do.” Her smile widens at your claim. “You're the kid who was too busy making out with boys to get good grades.”

“Girls too. I don't discriminate.” She laughs mirthfully. “Wouldn't have graduated without you buddy.”

You give her a small smile. She's still as good-natured as you remember. Too bad she hanged out with Chanmi though. There's a reason why you weren't friends with her. Acquaintances? Sure. But not friends. Not if it meant spending more time with that bitch. You faintly wonder if you could've become friends with her had things been different back then. No use thinking about it now. You wonder if she's still friends with the devil.

“And this must be your wife.” She glances over to Minjoo. An unsure look in her eyes. You suppose it can't be helped. As far as the media or anyone 'in the know' know, your relationship with Minjoo is still like how it was at the beginning of the marriage. The fact that you don't go out with Minjoo often probably helps that prejudice.

You nod.

“This is my wife, Minjoo,” you introduce her. All while making sure that you pull her a bit closer. Might as well start fixing that misunderstanding. "I'm sure you've heard of her before."

"Of course, I have!" Yeji holds out a hand out to her. "I don't think there's anyone in our country who haven't heard of her."

“Likewise, Ms. Yeji.” Minjoo laughs bashfully. "Every single one of my friends listens to your songs!"

“Don't lie.” Yeji chuckles while waving her hand. "I'm not even that famous."

“You're too modest, Ms. Yeji. I've heard that you won first place at....” 

Well, this was unexpected. You knew your wife was good at socializing but not _this_ good. Or maybe it's because you suck at socializing that you think Minjoo is amazing? Maybe. However, with the way the conversation is going, you think it's safe to say that your wife just really has amazing social skills. It just goes to show that you really can't underestimate the power of Kim Minjoo. You worry if you would leave all the talking to her. However, from the way she keeps drawing circles on the back of your hand, you decide not to worry. Bringing Minjoo really was the right choice. The less talking you have to do the better. At the very least, you should try to keep up with their conversation, but then they started to delve deeper into the entertainment industry and you're not sure if you understand anymore. Oh, well, just keep a straight face like you always do and no one will notice you're not listening. Except for Minjoo maybe. She always notices somehow.

It's been a while since the conversation started and the three of you had moved to the window seats near the bar. You feel a lot calmer when you can see the stars. As time passes on, you're starting to think that maybe this whole thing isn't so bad.

“I didn't know Chaewon had such famous friends though!” Minjoo flatters her.

“I didn't think she would marry famous model Kim Minjoo either! Truly unexpected!” Yeji looks at you, and you think you spot a mischievous look in her eyes. "You should've seen what she was like in High School. A bookworm through and through. Didn't really care about anything if it wasn't a book or her grades."

"She's still the same now," Minjoo giggles. "If her head isn't deep into paperwork, then she's off reading her books."

Oh, it looks like they went back to talking about you but, hm, why does it feel so hard to join the conversation? Well, you guess it's fine? It's not like they're talking bad about you. If anything, it seems like they're... complimenting you?

"That's why she's amazing though." Yeji chuckles.

"I agree." Minjoo nods her head.

"Hey, you gotta admit. She looks cool while concentrating."

"Absolutely. She has that handsome vibe around her, you know?"

"Oh, so you felt it too?"

"Of course, I'm her wife!"

Huh, you didn't know Yeji thought so highly of you.

"You know, Chaewon. I used to have a crush on you." She confidently admits, and um, what the fuck? Is—Is she joking or? Wait, ow, Minjoo, that hurts. Stop gripping your arm so tightly. And Yeji stop laughing, ow, you're not helping here! "Ah, by the way, don't worry. I got my own girlfriend. I'm not gonna steal your wife anytime soon."

She could've said that earlier but better late than never you guess. Minjoo's grip on your arm loosens and you wonder if it's going to leave a mark. Your wife is laughing but you're not really sure if it's genuine. Uh, it sounds a bit scary.

"It's true though!" The singer continues, and really, she doesn't need to continue on with this topic. "And I wasn't the only one, y' know? A lot of the girls in our class liked you too."

"Are you sure?" You pipe in after a while of staying mum. It's only natural for you to feel skeptical about all of this. As far as you remember everyone in your class hated you.

"Yeah! All of us even prepared chocolate to give you on Valentine's." Yeji chuckles bashfully as she reminisces her younger years.

"But I didn't get any?" You look at her confused, and she flinches at that. Now, you're even more confused.

"Ah, about that." She scratches her neck. Her eyes looking back and forth between you and the wall behind you. She bites her lip before finally sighing. Stepping closer to you, she talks in a low voice. "I should probably tell you. You deserve to know after all this time."

You want to ask her about what she meant by that, but then you see the serious look in her eyes. You opt to nod instead.

"You remember Chanmi, right?"

"How could I forget?" You roll your eyes at the mention of her name and she grimaces.

"Well, she," a hesitant pause. "she kinda threatened everyone?"

"What?"

"She told us that no one could give you anything for Valentine's. Actually, she just prohibited all of us from talking to you? Saying stuff like she would make our lives miserable if we didn't listen. And you know her parent's company. You can't really go against Park Technologies." She shrugs.

Wait, Park Technologies? Isn't that—No, that's not important right now.

"But you talked to me," you remark.

"Yeah, but that's because you were tutoring me."

A pause. You don't really know what to think. People didn't actually hate you? It was only because of that Chanmi bitch? You're not sure if you're supposed to be laughing or crying at this. All this time you've been suffering and for what? You thought no one liked you. You thought you weren't even worth anyone's time. You thought you had to prove yourself. That's what your teachers told you. That's what your parents told you. You're not good enough. That's why no one likes you. Your parents had said— _Oh, right. Your parents_.

And here you thought you were done with that bullshit. God damn it. You get it. You can't undo years and years of trauma that easily. But it's been almost a decade for fuck's sake. You can feel your knuckles turning white, and fuck, you can't breathe again.

Yeji lets out another sigh and your eyes snap back to her.

"You know, I used to think that she liked you too."

"The fuck?" That's the most ridiculous thing you've heard this night.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But it did seem like it back then." Yeji defends herself. "It was like she wanted to monopolize you, and well, I was a hormonal teenager. I only realized later that she was a psychotic bitch later on."

"Isn't she supposed to be your friend?" You ask. A bit taken aback from her vicious tone.

"Some friend she is," she scoffs. "If friends are supposed to fuck your fiancé behind your back for two years, then she must be the world's most amazing friend, isn't she?"

Okay, well, that's a can of worms you _don't_ want to open.

"I don't even know why the fuck she does it, but that fucking bitch keeps coming back to me. Flaunting her so-called _husband_ in my face." She says it with so much disgust almost as if she had just eaten a sewage rat.

You guess she had been ruining everyone's life. Not just yours. You wonder how she gets away with all the shit she does. Perhaps she was careful to never bark up the wrong tree. Somehow that just disgusts you even more. Only ever picking on a person who could never fight back. And you're one of them too.

"Oh my, it really is you!” A loud shrill voice comes from your left, and there she is. Park Chanmi. Your jaws tighten.

"Speak of the devil," Yeji murmurs.

"Kim Chaewon," Chanmi saunters over to your group. From the corner of your eyes, you can see that people are looking this way. You internally groan. Schooling your expression, you keep your face flat. "I haven't seen you in a decade! How's our little nerd doing?"

"Fine," you curtly reply.

"And Yeji too!" She smiles brightly at her.

"Hello, Chanmi." Yeji frowns further.

"How is Lia? You're dating her right now, right?"

"She's doing fine."

"That's great. Oh! We should do a double date, Jinnie! You and Lia with me and my hubby." There's an innocent smile on her lips, but you can see her eyes are anything but innocent. Like a hyena looking at its prey. She looks at all of us like we are her prey.

"No, thanks."

"Why not? We used to—"

"What do you want, Chami?" She cuts her off rudely. But Chanmi's smile just widens further.

"Aw, you're no fun." She pouts before looking at you. You can't help but feel chills going down your spine. "What about you, Chaewon? How about it?"

"Pass." You look away from her gaze. You can feel Minjoo getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. You don't blame her.

"Why are all of you being so boring?" She whines and you grit your teeth. "You really didn't change at all since high school, huh, Chaewon?"

You kept quiet. Black bile rises from your stomach. 

"Still so serious. Are you still knee-deep in those books of yours? Oh my god, don't tell me you're still sucking up to those above you? Just like what you did with the teachers? My god, can't you learn that it won't work?"

"I never did any of that." For fuck's sake, you're already having trouble breathing and she does this? Can't anyone give you a break? It's like you've gone back to that place. To that school all those years ago. Feebly answering her without actually doing anything. Maybe you didn't change after all.

"Honey, breathe," Minjoo whispers. "You know she's wrong."

Right. She's wrong. She has to be wrong. There's no way you haven't changed, and you'd like to think you've changed a lot. For the better too. Saying otherwise would be a disservice to everything _she_ and Minjoo had done for you.

"Ah, and I heard you got married lately?" She ignores you. Both Minjoo and Yeji flinch at the mention of the marriage. You finally meet her eyes again, and this time you're not afraid of her.

"It was two years ago actually," you correct her. Minjoo holds your hand tighter, and you grip her hand until your knuckles turn white.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Kim Minjoo was it? Did you marry her for the publicity?"

"Chanmi, watch your tongue. She's right here," Yeji warns her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you! I thought you were more," an ugly pause. Her smile turns into a sneer. "Hmm, never mind."

"What did you just say?" Minjoo hisses. Chanmi just glances at her before ignoring your wife completely, and you can't help but feel pissed.

"I feel bad for you, _Won-ah_." Don't say that name. _She_ used to call you by that name. How dare she defile your memories? How dare she taint something precious to you with those disgusting hands of hers? How fucking dare she? "Here, why don't we—"

"Shut up." You've had enough of her bullshit. 

"Excuse me?" She asks taken aback.

Prey? Us? Me? Her prey? Maybe that would've been true back then. But it's different now. It's _way_ different now. She wants a fight? You'll give her a fucking fight. Just like Minjoo said. It will be a funeral all right, and you'll personally dig Chanmi's grave for her.

Even a feeble cat would turn into a lion if cornered.

You've had been far too complacent, and you're going to fix that mistake. Chanmi had barked on the wrong tree this time. It's time to prey on the hunters.

Let the hunter be hunted.

"I said, shut up. Didn't you hear me the first time? Or has time treated you unkindly? Have you gone deaf?"

"How dare you!" She seethes.

"How dare I?" You stand up and walk closer to her. As angry as you are, you keep your voice level. Why waste your energy on a revolting hyena like her? "You tell me, bitch. Who was it that started insulting everyone first? Hm? Well?"

“You'll regret talking like that to me, Kim Chaewon.” She grits get teeth.

“And I'll make you regret opening that mouth of yours in the first place. You seem to have forgotten who I am, Park Chanmi.” You walk closer to her. A cold freezing stare in your eyes. Voice low and unfeeling. “May I remind you of who I am? Maybe this time that bird brain of yours would remember it, hm?”

“Bitch, don't make me laugh—”

“I am Kim Chaewon. Heiress and current executive at The Kim Group. Do you know what do every day? I manage the employees of the company. All three hundred and eighty-two of them. Mostly, they do their work and they respect me like I respect them. But sometimes,” you look down at her. Venom dripping from every single word. “sometimes I find assholes like you who can't even tell their ass from their head. Do you know what I do with those assholes?”

“I—”

“I use them. I take everything they have and then I throw them away like the pieces of shit they are.”

“I don't even work for you, bitch. Don't get all high and mighty on me.”

“Park Technologies.” She freezes. Why wouldn't she? It's her family's company. Dread settles in her eyes. “You seem to have forgotten who's your biggest shareholder is.”

“You—You can't possibly mean—”

“I can destroy your life without even lifting so much as a finger.”

She laughs nervously.

“Come on, Chaewon. Stop joking around. You know I was just kidding earlier, right?” She puts her hand on your shoulder and you just stare at it. It seems like you need to throw this suit away after this.

Disgusting.

“Get your hand off me.” You lowly growl.

“Huh?”

“Must I repeat myself?”

“I—I apologize.”

“If you don't want rats as your neighbors, then you better listen to what I say, Park.”

“O-Of course! Whatever you need, C-Chaewon.”

“Don't ever say my name ever again. Don't talk to me again. Don't even look my way. Hell, don't you even dare think about me.” You lean even further in her space. Invading it. “You _disgust_ me.”

“I-I understand.” Her voice wavering. Eyes teary. You wonder if people ever feel satisfied with the sight of their bully like this. Honestly, you just feel even more repulsed. Your eyes grow colder.

“Don't talk to my wife, and don't you dare approach Yeji ever again.” She nods repeatedly. “Good. Now, scram.”

She quickly scampers away. Stumbling on her heels and bumping people on her way out. No one dares to help her. Not when you're still there. Good.

You scoff and turn away from the sorry scene. Walking back to your seat, you sit down with a huff. No one really dares to say anything in that atmosphere, but as time passes by, they all slowly restart their conversations. Not as loud as before though.

"Well, damn!" Yeji whistles and you turn to look at her with an eyebrow raised. "That was... something alright."

"I suppose." You smile lightly at that.

"Damn, Minjoo, you got yourself a reliable wife."

"I know right?" Your wife giggles softly before holding your hand again. "Good thing I married her."

"Oh, please. Spare me the PDA."

She laughs and you can't help but smile too. Yeah, this night didn't turn out to be the nightmare you envisioned. It's not too bad.

Not bad at all.

(

 _She_ didn't end up coming to the reunion. But you suppose that's fine. You gained another friend, showed that bitch her place, and faced your old demons, and honestly, that's more than what you could ever hope for. You look towards your wife. Yeah, you did end up fine. You'd like to think that you got a little bit braver. Just a little bit.

Minjoo would like to say otherwise though. She thinks you've become more than just a little brave but you're not too sure about that.

Stopped by a red light, you take the time to look out the car window. A sigh escapes your lips. More from relief than anything else. The stars are strangely bright tonight. You think you can pick out all of your favorite constellations.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, just the stars."

"We should go stargazing sometime."

"We should."

"Maybe a picnic too? Ooh, we could pack our favorite foods and some wine and cheese too! It'll be like a romantic date."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah," you reach over the console to kiss her. "Okay."

)

//

It wouldn't be until a few more weeks that you and Minjoo could go out stargazing. While you were relatively free with the recent merger ending, Minjoo's job had suddenly doubled. With the release of new clothing lines for next season, it's no wonder. But both of you make it work. You would visit her more often at work, and Minjoo is all too happy to see you more often.

However, today was a rare day off for both of you. Seeing the opportunity, Minjoo dragged you off the bed and onwards towards preparing for the late-night picnic. You think your wife might be overzealous about this—it's barely noon and there's still twelve hours or so left until the picnic—but watching her running around with a picnic basket in hand is kinda cute. So, you let it be.

Originally, the basket was supposed to be packed with their favorite foods from their restaurants. But it seems like Minjoo has other ideas. She wanted to try eating the food from a cafe Yeji had recommended to her. After that night, it seems like your old schoolmate and your wife really hit off well together. Now, you see Yeji as much as Minjoo's other two friends. Granted not much, but still more frequent than before for obvious reasons. And honestly, you actually like talking to Yeji.

Well, not talk per se. Yeji had once said about having a friend similar to you. So, she actually doesn't mind when you don't talk.

Regardless, you're here at the cafe with Minjoo to fill the picnic basket.

Opening of the door, the bell chimes prettily across the room. You look around the cafe. It's a nice place. You like the simplicity of the decor. It feels cozy yet neat. Maybe you should take Minjoo here again in the future. Though you need to taste their food first before making the decision. The reviews say that it's amazing, but you'll be the judge of that.

Minjoo runs off towards the display case full of deserts. You just follow from behind.

"Welcome to Feather Cafe," a soft voice welcomes you. "how can I help you?"

You look at the waitress, and hm? Why does she look so familiar? More importantly, why does she look so similar to _her_? You glance at her nametag. Huh, even her name sound familiar.

"Uh, we—"

"Chaeryeong!" A shout comes from the kitchen. "Can you help me for a bit?"

"Later, Sis! There's a customer!"

"Sis?" You question.

"Ah, sorry about that," Chaeryeong apologizes politely. "We're short on staff today, so sis is handling the kitchen by herself. Ah, but that's not what you're here for is it? Would you like to eat here or take out?"

"Take out please!" Minjoo quips from the desert case. Her face practically glued to the glass. You chuckle.

"Can we see the menu?" You ask her.

"Of course." As she takes the menu from the cashier, a girl walks out of the kitchen and you can't help but freeze. It's her. Oh my god, it's _her_.

"Ya, I told you to help me for a bit," she frowns.

"And I told you we had customers, sis." Chaeryeong retorts back.

"Customers?"

"Yes, customers. They're over there." She nods in your direction and you're still frozen.

You look at her. She still looks the same. The same face. The same smile. The same voice. Just like how you remembered her. Although, she dyed her hair blonde. It looks good on her. She looks happy too. Guessing from how she's working in this cafe, she didn't become a doctor like her mother wanted. That's good. You remember how she sucked at anything science-related.

"Chaewon?" She looks at you bewildered. So, she remembers you.

"Hey, Chaeyeon." You smile at her. "Long time no see."

Minjoo looks to you for answers while Chaeryeong whispers to her sister. Questioning her you guess. But Chaeyeon ignores her and walks closer to you instead.

"You—wow, how long has it been?" She goes to grab your arms and you softly laugh.

"Almost ten years at this point," you remark.

"I-I can't believe it's you." She checks every part of you like a mother would with her child. You laugh again. "You've been eating, right? You used to eat only instant things back then. You better have a better diet now."

"I have." You nod. "Perks of having a model as a wife I guess."

"That's right! You got married!" She exclaims. "Ya! How come you didn't invite me to the wedding?"

"Sorry," you give her an apologetic smile. "I didn't know how to contact you."

"Oh, right." A sad smile on her face. Only for it to turn energetic the next second. "But I'm here now! So, you better tell me everything that I missed, young lady!"

"I will, I will. But, um," you glance over to Minjoo.

"Oh, right!" Chaeyeon quickly releases you. "Don't wanna interfere with your date haha!"

"It's okay, Chae." She shrugs carefreely. "It's not like we're in a hurry."

"Thanks, Joo."

"No problem, honey."

"Ugh! My child grows up so fast!"

"Shut up, Yeon."

"Now, hurry! Tell me everything!"

"I will. Calm down." You laugh.

You don't believe much in fate. How can you with your nihilist view of the world? If nothing matters, then does fate even exist? You don't know. But you think that maybe, just maybe the stars wanted you to meet Chaeyeon again. You don't know why? But does it really matter? You're just happy to have met your friend again.

Maybe now you can tell her how you've been. How you don't hate life as much anymore. How you found your own sun. How much happier you are now. You want to show the person who saved you all those years ago that her efforts weren't wasted.

Should the stars be listening, you would ask them to shine favorably upon your first friend.

(

"Was that your friend? The one you wanted to meet at the reunion?" Minjoo asks while lying next to you. Candles surround both of you and the remains of dinner are left in the basket.

The night sky is as beautiful as ever. Mixes of purple and green painted on the sky. You had driven far away from the city to see this sight, and it's worth it. Taking a deep breath, cold air fills your lungs. You pull her in a bit closer.

"Yeah, that was her." You kiss her head.

"She's really nice." Minjoo thinks back to how she had fawned over you like she was your own mother. "I like her."

"Good. I was thinking of making her our kids' godmother," you off-handedly say.

"Kids?" She leans up to look at you. Rosy cheeks and a questioning smile. An eyebrow raised, and oh, you said that out loud, didn't you?

"Oh, um," you feel your ears getting a bit hot. "well, aren't we going to?"

"We will." She laughs softly before leaning closer. "I love you."

"I love you too," you whisper against her lips.

)

//


End file.
